Nightmares
by MrsB108
Summary: When a strange presence takes over the crews dreams, hidden fears and emotions begin to slowly overwhelm them. How will they escape and wake up in time?
1. Chapter 1

**_NIGHTMARES_**

Chapter 1

Night was upon Atlantis and all was quiet. Most of the Atlantis staff was snuggled warm in their beds, unaware of what would befall them this night. The skeleton crew remaining awake during the graveyard shift never noticed the dense fog slowly but steadily creeping upon the city. It snuck silently atop the planets black shimmering waters, never shifting its course.

It soon covered the city like a thick blanket and began to penetrate the city's interiors, careening the hallways with intense veracity. In every room where sleeping people lie, the fog entered. It hovered slightly over their resting bodies, pausing for a moment, before it invaded each of them, entering through mouth and nose. Each of them gasped briefly, but none of them ever woke.

Teyla lay on her side in bed, surrounded by a sea of blankets when the fog entered her. She had been dreaming normally when she suddenly felt a presence. She looked around her and found herself in a dark room, alone, with only one bright light across the way. She had never seen this room before and looked down at herself to find she was fully dressed in uniform, although she did not remember ever waking up.

She tilted her head to the side curiously and began to slowly make her way towards the bright light. When she was no more than twenty feet away, she heard a loud cry in the distance. She stopped and squinted as she tried to look around the dark room and saw a small shadow, curled in a corner. "Hello?" she spoke softly. "Are you all right?" As she drew nearer, the shadow emerged and hissed at her. It had the body of a human child, but the face of a Wraith. "You do not belong here!" it hissed at her, baring its fangs. Teyla stood back in horror and found herself falling backwards into an unseen abyss.

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Ronon's snoring was deafening as he lay face down, sprawled,and uncovered across his bed, his arms and legs dangling off the edges. When the fog entered him, he had not been dreaming. He opened his eyes and found himself alone in the training room, standing dead center, holding a large jagged knife. He stared down at it curiously, for he did not remember how he got here or what he was doing. Brushing his long hair from his face, he turned suddenly hearing a low growl behind him. His eyes glowed with anger as he spotted a Wraith, standing there, screeching.

His body tensed and took position as he focused his eyes on the enemy. He baded the Wraith, waving his knife around, toying with him, before he lunged at him, full speed, hair flying, and slitting its throat. Ronon stood victorious over it's lifeless body, when he began to wonder how the Wraith had gotten in Atlantis in the first place. Surprised, Ronon heard another low growl behind him. Standing there strangely, were _two_ Wraith this time. Ronon began to sweat. He knew they had not been there before. Still, he took stance and focused, carefully carving them up one at a time. He panted slightly and wiped the bloody knife on his pantleg, before starting to walk towards the door.  
_Growl._  
Ronon feared turning around, yet he did ever so slowly to find there were four Wraith this time, each of them snarling and snapping at him. He dove at them, subduing two of them before the others had a chance to pin him down to the training room floor. His eyes were filled with hatred and confusion as the Wraith straddling him lifted it's arm in the air before striking him hard in the chest. Ronon closed his eyes in pain and felt as if he were falling back into an unseen abyss.

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Rodney had fallen asleep at his computer in his lab, face resting comfortably on the keyboard, small drops of drool slowly falling from his open mouth. He awoke to find himself in the control room. Everyone was there, running amuck and talking loudly. The whole room was shaking and sparks were flying out from all sorts of control panels. "Whats going on?!" Rodney exclaimed loudly over the din. Radek was at the main control board with another technician talking rapidly and turned around quickly. "Rodney, the city is under attack! You have to do something!"

Rodney stood still for a moment, very confused as to what was going on. Then he sprang into action, pushing the technician out of the way and looked at the main control panel. Rodney's eyes widened in surprise. Nothing on the panel made any sense to him. Numbers were upside down and sideways, words read in a language that he didn't know. Rodney frantically began pressing buttons."What...what is this? he cried ducking, as sparks flew at his head. "I can't read any of this!" The quaking grew worse.

"The shield has been breached!The Wraith have entered the city!" the technician yelled. Rodney felt helpless as Radek stopped and looked at him very strangely. "You dissapoint me, Rodney," he said with an eerie calm. Col. Carter approached him from the crowd and said, "You failed us, Rodney." Rodney saw three Wraith making their way up the steps. He gasped in horror as two more faces approached him. Dr Weir had terrible lacerations on her face, bleeding slowly as she put her hand on his shoulder and said, "You let me down." Rodney looked at her with heartbroken eyes before another hand touched him. He turned to see his dear friend Carson, baring scorched flesh, as he told him, "You let us all down, Rodney." Rodney closed his eyes in disbelief and felt as if he were falling in an unseen abyss.


	2. Chapter 2

**_NIGHTMARES_**

Chapter 2

John lay shirtless, sleeping silently, his body half covered by only a thin sheet. He awoke to the sound of gunfire and found himself off world, in an unknown forest. He was crouched behind some brush, holding his P-90 close to his chest, Teyla and Ronon on either side of him. They both were staring out into the woods behind him, concentrating. He looked around, confused, and instinctively ducked when a barrage of bullets clamored their way.

"Wait a minute! What's going on here?!" he asked to either of them. Neither moved, their eyes steady on their targets "I'll take the two behind the bunker, you guys take the others," Ronon gruffed as he began to rise from his position, John spoke to him in a hushed voice. "Ronon, wait!" Ronon took off without so much as looking back. "God damn it! What is going on, Teyla???!!" John panted as more bullets came flying by their position. "Do not worry, Colonel. I'll take point," and she stood quickly, firing multiple shots into the forest before somersaulting behind a nearby tree.

John looked down at his gun, not knowing what to do and decidedly followed suit. After multiple rounds were shot back and forth, he finally spotted a Wraith hiding behind a large rock and shot him straight through his chest. He started to follow Teyla to the next cover, when he noticed another Wraith coming up dangerously close behind Ronon. "Ronon, behind you!" John yelled in his earpiece, but it was too late. The Wraith held up his gun and shot Ronon point blank in the back of the head.

"RONON!" John cried. Ronon's body dropped to a heap on the forest floor, his eyes open, blood pouring out of the back of his head. "Teyla, Teyla, Ronon's been shot! There's too many of them, we have to fall back!" John looked around wildly. Teyla was nowhere to be seen. "Teyla!" he yelled frantically. His heart stopped when he spotted Teyla ahead, surrounded and disarmed by three Wraith. She stood there amid them perfectly still. Her tearful eyes were on John as he screamed at the top of his lungs and ran towards her, running out into the open, calling her name and firing wildly at the surrounding Wraith.

But he was nowhere close enough to stop one of them from jamming their hand into her chest and draining the life from her. Her eyes never left the sight of John, who was trying so hard to reach her, tears streaming from his face as he ran to no avail.

His bullets seemed to pass right through the Wraith. He felt a flash of white hot pain sear through his leg and he fell on his face into the dirt, clutching his knee. The Wraith who had killed Teyla stood above John, as he lay there bleeding and heartbroken. He put a well placed foot to John's throat and snarled at him, baring his teeth. "John Sheppard. Your failure as a leader knows no end. You could not even protect those closest to you. Your most loyal and bravest friend is dead. The woman you loved but failed to tell is dead. Their deaths are meaningless and you are responsible." John looked over at Teyla's limp body and his heart sank to a place he dared not go. He looked back at the Wraith and with all the strength he could muster, said "Go ahead. Kill me."

The Wraith laughed cruelly and said, "No, Colonel Sheppard. You're punishment will be much worse. You'll live your life knowing what you lost, suffering every day without them. Without her." John's eyes filled with tears and he shook uncontrollably. The Wraith removed his foot from John's throat and kicked him in the side of his head, making John feel as if he were falling into the blackness of an unseen abyss.

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Teyla opened her eyes and found she was lying on her back in one of the many hallways of Atlantis. Silence surrounded her and all the lights were dim. She quickly sat up inspecting herself, unsure of how she had gotten there. She remembered the creature she had last encountered, half child, half Wraith and shuddered at its horrid image etched into her mind. She stood shakily and was determined to figure out what was going on. She walked for many hallways, checking rooms, treading cautiously, finding nothing but silence and shadows.

Just when her legs were beginning to tire her, she heard an echoed scuffling behind her. She turned and her heart leapt into her throat as she spotted two Wraith side by side at the end of the hall she was in, their pace increasing with each step towards her. No weapons, she turned and ran as fast as she could, changing hallways, and ducking through doorways. She entered a room and closed the door behind her, holding her breath in anticipation. Staring at the door, she started to back up into the middle of the room. Something moved behind her. She gasped and turned.

There Ronon sat, half in light, half in shadow. A bloodied knife gripped tightly in his hand, the blood glistened softly in the dim glow of the lamp. "Ronon?" she whispered. Ronon's eyes never met hers. They were fixed steady on the door. "Ronon, what is happening? There are Wraith in the city!" She was barely audible. "It's no use, Teyla. Wherever there's one, there's a hundred. Where there's a hundred, there's a thousand. We can't stop them. They'll eat our flesh over and over again." His voice cracked in despair.

Teyla walked over to Ronon and put her hand gently on his shoulder, they way she often did when things were grim. He flinched slightly at her touch and begrudgingly brought his eyes to meet hers. "Ronon, I do not know what is going on but I feel there is something very wrong about all this. Do you not feel it? This….this fog clouding our heads? It feels as though I am awake inside my own dreams." He looked at her blankly. She sighed and started again. "Ronon, think. How did we get to be here? How did the Wraith enter the city? Where IS everyone? Where is Colonel Sheppard?"

Ronon looked thoughtful for a moment before returning a deadly gaze to the door. "I'm sure they're all dead." Teyla stood back, her mouth agape at the mere thought. "No, you are wrong. If he….if they were dead I would sense it. They are here somewhere and I [Iwill[/I find them. We need them to fight this and figure out what is going on. I ask you to come with me, Ronon." Ronon did not respond. Teyla sighed heavily. "Be well, Ronon. I will return for you."

She tried to feign a smile to him as she left him there, but her heart sank heavy at the thought of finding anyone she cared for dead. An image of Colonel Sheppards dead body flashed through her mind, and fueled her body with such an intense rage, she felt as though she would choke on her own breath. Nothing would stand in her way of finding them. With that thought, she slipped out unnoticed by the Wraith into the hallway.

Teyla emerged in the hallway, peering carefully around each corner before she turned its corridor. She was anxious and exhausted from running. Ronon had her on edge picturing their entire expedition lying dead in all corners of Atlantis. After narrowly escaping three different sets of Wraith, she found herself running through a corridor in the East Wing, a place she had never ventured before. It was very dark and she was traveling at a great speed when she tripped hard over something and went flying through the air. As quickly as she could, she regained composure and turned back to see what she had fallen over.

Her eyes widened as she realized she had tripped over someone's legs, someone who was lying flat on their back in the middle of the hallway. She dropped to her knees as she looked at the face of the person who lay there before her. It was Colonel Sheppard. He was lying there so still, Teyla was sure he was dead. She felt sick as she crawled over slowly to his motionless body, dragging her heavy hand to feel for some sign of life. She felt no life signs and began to gag on the rising spittle in her throat. Her chin was trembling and she sat there, staring at his restful face.

Her mind felt fuzzy as she thought of everything they had been through together and all the time she thought they would have together. Desperate gasps of air clogged in her throat when suddenly, Colonel Sheppards body seemed to come to life as he began to sputter and cough, turning slowly onto his side, his eyes still closed. Teyla's heart leapt with joy and she felt overwhelmed with emotion, as tears spilled from her eyes. "John? John?! Are you allright?" she asked her smile wide and true as he continued to cough.

When Colonel Sheppard felt a whoosh of air rush into his lungs, he started to cough and rolled over on his side, slowly catching his breath. He thought he heard Teyla's voice over his incessant coughing, but his thoughts returned to him and he remembered that dirty Wraith draining her body and tossing it aside like a rag doll. His coughing started to subside and he heard Teyla again, she sounded like she was right there beside him. He opened his eyes quickly, for her voice sounded so real. He saw her sitting there, on her knees, her beautiful smile was bright and her eyes seemed to glow with joy.

John sat up immediately and reached out with his hand to make sure she was real. His touch surprised her and she fluttered briefly as his hand touched her face. Overcome with happiness, he grabbed her roughly and pulled her warm body close, burying his face in her hair, feverishly taking in her scent. Teyla was so happy that Colonel Sheppard was alive, his touch had surprised her, and before she knew it she was engulfed by his strong arms, his hands wrapped tightly around her sides. After a few moments like that, she began to realize the pure ecstasy his touch was having on her, and she slowly began to pull away, unsure of what to do.

His eyes were glistening as their eyes met and she felt her heartbeat increase as she backed up slowly, looking deep in his face. "Teyla," he said softly. "I thought you were dead." Teyla smiled and looked down quickly. "And I thought the same of you, Colonel." John stared at her hard. She had never looked as beautiful to him as she did at this moment, and he wanted everything he had ever held back from allowing himself to feel for her to pour out, but as she looked away, he lost his nerve.

He started to get up from the ground and lent a hand to help her up as well. "Teyla," he started. "I saw you killed by a Wraith. We were in the woods and I-". She interrupted him. "Colonel, I believe we are all witnessing things that are not real. I have seen Ronon and he seemed very disturbed, like he had been through some great trauma. I have been through much of the city and found no one else, till now. I feel as though we are somehow conscious yet we remain in our subconscious." John pondered this, scratching his messy hair.

"Ok, let's say I buy that. What does that mean? We're stuck in our nightmares? Hey you haven't seen a guy with a black and red sweater and long metal claws for fingernails, have you?" he asked half joking. She looked at him confused and answered, "I have seen only Wraith." He looked at her seriously and replied, "Close enough. C'mon, let's go see if we can find anyone else."


	3. Chapter 3

**_NIGHTMARES_**

Chapter 3

John and Teyla raced through the halls of Atlantis in hopes of finding more of the crew. They saw no one, but heard many distant screams echoing throughout the endless hallways. They decided they should head to the control room in hopes of people congregating there. They found only one person. Hiding in a corner behind one of the main control panels with his hands wrapped around his knees and face buried in between, was Rodney.

"Rodney?" John asked incredulously. Rodney picked up his head swiftly. He quickly scrambled to his feet, staring at both of them angrily. "Oh nice. What, did you two come here to join in the fun and tell me what a joke I am? To tell me how I can't do anything right? Like I need to hear that from either of you! Well, you two, can just GET IN LINE!" He was repeatedly pointing in John's face as his voice rose.

John looked at his finger with disgust. "First of all Rodney, you're the last person on Ear-...you're the _last_ person I would ever call a joke. Second, we need your help. Third, get your God damn finger outta my face." He said this as he pointedly pushed Rodney's hand away.

Rodney stared at them confused. Teyla gave him a half hearted smile. "All right, does somebody wanna tell me what's going on here?" he asked.

John tried to keep a normal face when he said, "We'll ya see, the thing is….…Teyla has this wacky theory," he started, scratching his head as Teyla gave him a challenging glance. "Ok, maybe not wacky. Look there's no way to really explain this without sounding crazy so, I'm just gonna say it. We think we're stuck in our dreams." He looked to Teyla for support but she was eagerly awaiting Rodney's response.

Rodney looked down, mulling this over for a moment. He gazed at each of them before he spoke. "Wow, you two…….. are just completely insane," he said without much expression.

"Now wait a minute here," Colonel Sheppard spoke defensively. "Weren't you the one we just found all bunched up in the corner?"

Rodney jutted his chin out defensively trying to think of what to say. "Point taken." He said after a moment.

"Look Rodney, we need help here. If we're somehow stuck in our subconscious but our minds think we're actually awake, what can we do to wake the hell up?"

Rodney looked at Teyla. "You're asking me to go out on a very twilight Zone limb here, guys. I don't know I'd really have to think about this. This isn't really my area of expertise. Maybe we should go get Dr. Hei-."He stopped talking when he heard a strange creaking. _Creak……creak….. creak...creak. _

A sound he knew all too well.

**_"Rodney……" _**

Rodney stood frozen, a sickened look creeping slowly upon his face. Teyla noticed this. "Rodney, what is it?" she asked worried. Rodney heard the voice again.

**_"Rodney……" _**

Rodney ignored Teyla and slowly turned towards the voice. His fear was confirmed as he looked upon an old woman with frayed gray hair and large spectacles wearing a white cotton dress. She was rocking back and forth in a rocking chair while knitting some sort of sweater right in the center of the control room. Her eyes were fixed on her knitting while her voice croaked out his name.

John hurried to Rodney's side, seeing his face ashen. His body was trembling as he stared. "What is it? What are you staring at?" he asked. Rodney turned. "Can't you see her? She's sitting right there!"

Teyla and John looked in the direction Rodney pointed but saw nothing. "There is nothing there," Teyla said gently.

The old woman began speaking. _"Why did you leave me here, Rodney? You should never have left me here to rot. All I do is rot now…… thanks to you…….. and your selfishness. Always selfish you were. Always your damn nose in a book instead of where it should have been, taking care of me. Why couldn't you be more like your sister……."_

"You guys don't see her?" he said aghast. John and Teyla looked at each other. "No, Rodney snap out of it! This is what we're saying! It's not real, none of this is real. We have to figure out a way to wake up! We need your help, Rodney!"

Rodney's eyes were transfixed on his mothers' hands as they knitted and knitted till blood began pouring from her fingertips, spattering softly onto her white dress as she continued.

Teyla drew back her hand and slapped Rodney hard across the face. Rodney recoiled, looking at Teyla in distress and then back towards where his mother was. She was gone now. "What the…?" Teyla looked at him sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders to John. "I am sorry. I thought it would help."


	4. Chapter 4

**_NIGHTMARES_**

Chapter 4

John shook his head at Teyla, smiling. "All right. We're gonna try a different approach. One that doesn't involve Rodney's invisible mother. You two stay here. I'm gonna go find Dr. Heightmeyer. I hope they teach you freaky dream mojo in psychiatry school."

Teyla stopped him slightly grabbing his arm as he began to hustle off. "I do not think it is wise to split up. You may become lost yourself if there is no one there to ground you, Colonel." Her forehead was furrowed with concern. John smiled his boyish smile and replied, "I'll be fine. I'm just gonna go get the good doc and I'll come straight back. Scout's honor."

Teyla did not know what that meant but frowned and nodded in approval. She went and sat with Rodney who was muttering to himself.

John jogged off, his eyes constantly vigil looking for more of the crew as he scurried down hallway after hallway, heading towards Kate Heightmeyer's quarters. He finally reached her hallway, which was just as empty as all the rest and stood in front of her door. He was about to knock when he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

"Teyla?……….What are you doing here? I thought I told you to wait with Rodney?"

Teyla approached him slowly, her eyes bearing down hard on him. Something was different about her, he thought. Her walk was slightly different than normal as she made her way to him.

He was about to say something else; when he noticed her clothing was much tighter than usual. _Much_ tighter.

John's eyes practically bugged out of his skull when suddenly, he realized. "Oh God, no—"

Teyla stepped close to John and slowly pressed her body against his and tilted her head so that her mouth was only inches from his. "Hello, John," she said, her voice smoky. Her eyes were gazing longingly at his and burned with a desire he only knew too well.

His heartbeat sped up and his breath quickened. He put his hands up defensively and pushed her away slightly by her bare shoulders. "Ok, this is awkward. I know you're not real."

She smiled coyly. "I'm as real as you're making me."

John's eyes lingered at the outline of her figure momentarily, before he shook his head hard. "Focus, John, focus! Look, 'Imaginary Teyla', I gotta get the doc so we can all wake up, so can you just….._poof_ away?…._Pleas_e?"

Teyla looked down at herself for a moment and then back at him. She smiled wildly. "Well, I think it is pretty obvious Colonel, that you do not _really_ want me to go away or else I would not be here anymore." She leisurely walked back towards him, her barefoot feet padding on the floor. She brushed her hand against his head, stroking his spiky hair. "This is what you have been waiting for, is it not? For her to tell you how much she wants you, how much she needs you?" She looked deep into his eyes. "I can tell you that. I can tell you anything you want." She leaned forward and kissed him gently, biting his lip as she slowly pulled away.

He looked at her, his eyes blazing with a longing. "But you're not real. You're not her."

"Does it really matter?"

He pushed her away again, this time more forcefully. "It matters to me."

And poof, she was gone.

"Colonel???"

John turned to see Dr. Keller standing in the hallway in her nightgown, staring at him strangely. He noticed his hands were grasping at air as he held off an imaginary Teyla.

His face turned a definite purple in embarrassment and he cleared his throat nervously. "Hey, Dr Keller. How's it going?"

She approached him cautiously. "Um…..well I'm not sure. I just had a conversation with a patient who died in my arms last week, so I'd say its going _not good_?? May I ask what you were just doing? It looked like you were um…._talking_…with someone?" She made a face.

John looked away, horrified. "Erm…long story. Anyways, we think we're all stuck in our dreams so I was coming to find Dr. Heightmeyer hoping she can figure a way out of this. Care to come along?"

Dr. Keller took in what he said for a moment and he then shrugged her shoulders. "Sounds like a plan, Colonel."


	5. Chapter 5

**_NIGHTMARES_**

Chapter 5

Once Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Keller had successfully convinced Kate Heighmeter of what was happening to them, the three of them began heading back to the control room, where Teyla and Rodney were waiting.

They were almost there when they could hear muffled voices floating through the air. And they could all tell it was an unhappy voice. Colonel Sheppard rushed with the two women following close behind. Peering across the vast hallways, they could see Major Lorne holding his gun towards an unseen asailant and shouting angrily.

John turned to the two frightened women. "I think it would be better if you two waited here." They both nodded silently in return, and John took off crossing the floor in moments. He threw his back against a wall, trying to remain unseen by Lorne's attacker. "Lorne!" he whispered loudly. "Lorne, whats going on? Who's back there?"

Lorne looked petrified. His extended hand holding his weapon was shaking furiously and his eyes were filled with tears. John watched, confused, as Lorne was completely oblivious to his presence.

His eyes were fixed on whatever he had trapped in one of the many dark corners of Atlantis.

"You can't be here! It's impossible! You're not real...GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" he screamed.

"Major Lorne! Report!" John yelled surprising Lorne.

Lorne's eyes flinched for a second and he noticed the Colonel slowly approaching him. "Colonel! I've trapped one of them! It's here, its right here!!"

Colonel Sheppard swung out widely from the wall's protection to look towards the darkened alcove. His eyes opened wide in surprise and horror as his gaze fell upon a young woman that he recognized as one of the many technicians on the science team, crouched, sobbing in the corner.

"Lorne, lower your weapon immediately! That's not a monster, it's a civilian!" John shouted holding out an arm towards the Major.

Lorne's eyes squinted into the dark in disbelief and then back towards the Colonel. "Sir, I know what it is! Don't let it fool you! Don't let it into your mind!!!"

Colonel Sheppard held his tongue and tried to reason with Lorne, understanding his confusion. "Listen, I know there's some really strange stuff going on here Major, but I _assure_ you that is a person and not anything else! Now holster that weapon! Now, Major, that's an order!" Lorne's body stiffened right away.

John slowly approached the woman; his hands held out to show he meant her no harm and started speaking to her gently.

Lorne looked hesitant for a moment, almost considering what the Colonel had said. Then his eyes lit up like a fire when the sobbing technician began to stand and Lorne shot her dead in the chest. John ran forward to catch her flailing body as it hit the floor and watched in horror as she gasped her last breath.

**"LORNE!"** he cried.


	6. Chapter 6

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**_NIGHTMARES_**

**Chapter 6**

John placed the technicians lifeless body down on the cold floor with trembling hands. Lorne stood, stock still, his gun still aimed towards them, eyes wide in confusion. John stood slowly, his face contorted in a mixture of rage and sadness. "Put down your gun, Lorne," he said gruffly.

Lorne eyed the motionless body carefully. "Wha-What if it isn't dead?" John held back a nasty retort and replied through gritted teeth. "Believe me, Lorne. You got it." Lorne still looked unconvinced as John began very slowly making his way towards him.

Lorne closed one eye as he positioned himself, straightening his aim upon the womans head. "Maybe I should just make sure though, Colonel," he started to say extending his arm.

In an instant and with a giant roar, John lunged at Lorne tackling him hard to the ground. Lorne's gun clattered loudly as it slid across the smooth floor and hid itself under another shadow. John gripped Lorne's wrists and screamed into his face. "You just killed a civilian, soldier! You will DESIST!" Lorne's blue eyes seemed to pass through his superior as he struggled wildly under John's grip.

John, knowing it was a futile effort to try to convince him any further, called to the women hiding in the alcove. "Can one of you go find me something to tie him up with?" he called as politely as he could although he felt quite overwhelmed with rage over the technicians unneccesary death.

He held the flailing Major until finally Dr. Keller located a stash of wires and together they bound Lorne, cautiously trying to avoid being hit as he lashed out with his arms and feet.

Once he was contained, John approached the dead body with the two woman by his side. He lifted his hand and closed the lids of her glazed eyes with his sweaty palm. He looked up at both doctors, a look of pain echoed on his normally smiling face. "Do you think...do you think she's really dead, ya know, like in the real world?"

Both women looked at each other. Dr. Keller said, "I think thats a better question for you, Kate." Kate sighed deeply staring at the woman on the ground. "Well, my knowledge on dreams is fairly limited. But I do know that most cultures have some sort of lore following the same mantra. Basically it says that if you die in your sleep, you die in real life, to put it in simple terms. It's also a scientific logistic that the mind is greater than all other things, meaning whatever your mind thinks is real, _becomes,_ in fact, _real._"

John stood nervously, soaking in what Kate just said. "I think that might be the worst thing I heard all day."


	7. Chapter 7

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**_NIGHTMARES_**

**Chapter 7**

John removed his vest and placed it over the technicians face and chest and he, Dr. Keller, and Dr. Heightmeyer stood somberly over her, together silent for a few long moments. "Ok we better get to the control room fast. People need to know what's happening before there are any more...accidents," John said grimly eyeing the Major.

Dragging Lorne behind him by his rope, he led the women as swiftly as he could back towards Rodney and Teyla. When they got there, they found they were not alone. Ten to twenty other people had collaborated and had crowded themselves onto the platform before the Stargate, all acting out their own nightmares, without barely any regard towards their surroundings. People were screaming and crying, swinging fists at invisible enemies and running from unseen terrors.

John dropped Lorne, who had slumped into an eerie silence at the bottom of the stairs and hurried up to find Rodney and Teyla.

He found them but they were no longer alone in the control room. Ronon had joined them as well, sitting slouched in a corner, back against the wall, his arms covered in deep gashes and a bloodied knife gripped in his hands as he stared blankly at nothing.

"Ronon?" John said eyeing him warily. Ronon did not move from staring eerily at a spot on the floor.

"He will be fine," Teyla responded as she walked towards John, a shaky look upon her face. "It took some time to calm him but I believe we succeeded in enlightening him to the situation. But Colonel, there was another problem..." her voice trailed and he followed her eyes as they closed on a person, lying on their back in the corner, their face covered by a jacket.

"Who-" John started as he walked over. Teyla gripped his shoulder tight, preventing his movement. "Do not bother, John. It is Major Ray. His wounds were beyond medical attention and there was nothing we could do. Captain Lewis gunned him down believing he was the enemy, although we were unable to apprehend the Captain and I am afraid he is still loose around the city."

She looked down onto the chaotic Stargate platform below. "I am afraid even those who we normally consider as friends would not hesitate to fire upon us if they believed we were not who we claim to be."

John watched her stand at the open landing as she peered down below. He watched her face change from a sad expression to one of horror. "Teyla?" he asked worriedly.

She ran quickly from the banister and fled past him towards the staircase as John heard someone's angry voice echoing from down below. John followed her telling the others to stay above as he passed them.

Captain Lewis was standing at the edge of the platform his gun aimed into the messy crowd, a look of frustration and confusion on his sweaty face, the same look as Major Lorne had wore just before he shot the technician.

Teyla ran in front of his aimed weapon waving her arms up over her head as she called for the other people to get back behind her. "Please Captain! Lower your weapon, we are not your enemy! These are innocent people!" she called loudly.

John reached the bottom of the stairs and drew his weapon, beading carefully upon the trembling soldier. "Do as she says Captain!"

Captain Lewis looked quickly at his superior officers gun poised towards him and then back to Teyla and the cowering people behind her. When he spoke, his words were directed at Teyla and his eyes burned through her like fire-lit paper.

"I know what you are Teyla Emmagan. I won't be fooled by a Wraith BITCH like you!" His finger clamped down on the trigger but before it pressed down far enough to click, he felt a white hot pain shoot through his side and he lowered his weapon awkwardly, peering down at the slowly widening red spot between the slits on his flak jacket.


	8. Chapter 8

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**_NIGHTMARES_**

**Chapter 8**

Captain Lewis looked strangely at his own blood as it began to seep through the material of his clothes and then looked murderously at the poised Colonel, whose gun still smoked from the bullets release.

Colonel Sheppard's eyes reflected a sad moment as the two men stared at each other and after a moment, John moved forward to aid the swaying soldier. He was about to call up to Dr. Keller, when Captain Lewis made a move that John would never forget.

Clamping down one hand against his mortal wound, he gave Colonel Sheppard a disgusted, defiant glare before using his free hand to pull angrily at the trigger and shoot blindly one-handed into the crowd.

As the bullets scattered wildly in every direction, Teyla turned and threw herself atop the closest group of people, knocking them down hard to the ground.

John screamed a cry of helplessness as he again raised his weapon and shot the Captain directly through his head, watching his face slump terribly from the impact as his finger released one final spray of bullets into the air.

When the Captain lay motionless on the floor, John let his eyes wander out onto the platform, terrified of what he might find. Finding Teyla's inert form, he rushed to her side placing a strong hand on her back as she began to slowly stir. Relief poured quickly into his heart and mind and he aided her ascent as the two of them looked around the room and their eyes began to silently count the number of bodies that lay eerily too still.

"This ends now," John said as his face twisted in anger.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked skeptically as she noticed the others from the control room had rushed onto the floor and were checking for wounded.

"Not really a plan, more of an idea….." he said as he began to kneel down beside the still cowering people lying flat on the floor, letting them know they were safe.

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Colonel Sheppard and all the others gathered together discussing his idea after the wounded had been tended to and the deceased were placed carefully in a line, all of their faces covered.

"So that's it?" Rodney scoffed. "We just have to believe we're awake and we magically wake up in our beds? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Colonel."

"No, Dr. McKay," said Dr. Heightmeyer. "I believe this could work. It's all about manipulation of the mind. Here, I'll show you." She looked around and her eyes rested on Ronon's deep gashes as he stood there silently among them, with his arms crossed.

"May I?" she asked him softly. He begrudgingly looked towards her kind smile and let her hold out one of his mangled arms.

"Now, Ronon, I want you to imagine these wounds are already healed. See them deep in your mind's eye, focus on them with your thoughts, believe in what you are seeing."

Ronon looked at her with an expression of utter disbelief.

Colonel Sheppard made a face of annoyance and said loudly to him, "Could you at least try?"

Ronon made a face and then hesitantly closed his eyes, obviously concentrating on his task.

His eyes remained shut and his face silent in concentration as Kate held his arm in her slender hands for all to see.

Almost an entire minute had passed and Rodney was just about to make a loud comment about everyone being on drugs when miraculously Ronon's dark, shredded arms started to change.


End file.
